The Weekly Roundup: Triple-Doubles, Near-Triple-Doubles, An Ugly Contract Divorce, and Sloot’s Game-Winner
Inside the league’s influx of triple-doubles, the Tina Charles-Phoenix debacle, and Courtney Vandersloot’s brilliance
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How eventful was last week in the WNBA? Candace Parker set the single-season and career records for triple-doubles, and it wasn’t even the league’s top story. Instead, that belonged to Tina Charles and the Phoenix Mercury, who agreed on Saturday to a contract divorce (the WNBA’s odd terminology for what is effectively a buyout). While a shocking development to many league observers, ESPN reported that Charles was frustrated with her lack of involvement in the Mercury’s offense and that the writing was on the wall for quite some time. Per The Ball Out, Charles is set to sign with Seattle.
So, what now for Phoenix? After wins against Dallas and Indiana, the Mercury are now 2-0 in the post-Charles era. Following the road victory versus Dallas, Phoenix coach Vanessa Nygaard paraphrased Mark Twain when she quipped: “Reports of our death have been greatly exaggerated.” Some might interpret that as prisoner of the moment wishful thinking, but there’s an element of truth to Nygaard’s comments. Don’t be surprised if the Mercury inch up in the standings by the end of next month. Currently in ninth place, Phoenix sits just one game back of New York and Atlanta, who are tied for the seventh spot. The combined record of Phoenix’s opponents through the end of July is 84-102 (45% winning percentage), while New York and Atlanta face teams with a combined record of 124-82 (60%) and 123-104 (54%). I’m not suggesting the Mercury will replicate last season’s run to the Finals, but Diana Taurasi’s proclamation that “the good times are coming” is not that far-fetched.
Before we jump into your regularly scheduled weekly roundup programming, can we take a moment to appreciate the brilliance of Courtney Vandersloot? I sometimes take her brilliance for granted (and some may argue I’ve done so again with my Player of the Week selection below) and almost certainly wouldn’t be writing this if it wasn’t for her 25-point, eight-assist effort in Chicago’s epic comeback versus Las Vegas and her game-winning triple on Sunday against Minnesota. Our own Aneela Khan recently argued that Sue Bird has been the engine behind so many great teams. The same can be said of Sloot and the Chicago Sky franchise. Whether through assists or field goals she’s made, Sloot is responsible for 22.5% of the field goals in Chicago Sky history. That includes the first five seasons of the franchise’s existence when she wasn’t even on the team! She hasn’t failed to lead the league in assists since the Obama administration. A few weeks ago, I explained how condensed the WNBA schedule is this season and the importance of taking the time to appreciate the greatness this league has to offer. That very much includes Courtney Vandersloot.
Player of the Week: Breanna Stewart
It’s pretty scary when a player’s average week is good enough for Player of the Week honors. But, that’s just how high Breanna Stewart has set the bar this season. Stewie averaged 23.5 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and 1.5 blocks during Seattle’s 1-1 week. Her season averages are 22 points, 7.6 boards, 3.3 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.9 blocks. Ok, maybe it was a slightly above-average week, but you get the picture. Average for Stewie is extraordinary for almost everyone else. She had 19 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in Seattle’s 85-71 win over Washington. Sabrina Ionescu is the only other player in the league to reach all three of those marks in a single game. No one this year has bested Stewie’s 28-point, seven-rebound, and five-assist game against Los Angeles.
Unfortunately for Stewart, over three-quarters of all WNBA MVP winners have come from a team that finished the regular season with at least a share of second place (i.e., the second-best regular season record regardless of conference). In fact, only Lauren Jackson (twice), Candace Parker, and Sheryl Swoopes have earned the league’s top individual prizes while playing on teams that finished outside the league’s top three. Seattle currently sits fourth at 11-7, a game and a half back of third-place Connecticut.
But, is anyone more valuable to their team than Breanna Stewart? She leads the league in total win shares, an estimate of the number of wins a player produces through their play on the offensive and defensive end of the court. The difference in the Storm’s net rating when she’s on the court versus when she’s on the bench is +24.4 points per 100 possessions - that’s more than A’ja Wilson (+22.1), Jonquel Jones (+12.4), Kelsey Plum (+19.4), and all other serious MVP contenders.
Stat of the Week: The near-triple-double machine, Part II
Five of the 14 triple-doubles in league history have occurred in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The reason for this explosion of triple-doubles is the eye-popping number of players who have flirted with the milestone (perhaps we’ll dive into what’s driving the increase in near-triple-doubles sometime down the road, but not today). Last month, we called out the record number of times Candace Parker has missed a triple-double by a single point, rebound, assist, block, or steal. After reading this, Parker decided she had had enough of this near-triple-double business, went ahead, and set the WNBA record with her third career triple-double. While I’m not delusional enough to think that this was the sequence of events, the fact still remains that WNBA players are closing in on triple-doubles now more than ever.
Another near-triple-double (and triple-double) culprit is Sabrina Ionescu. Now, we at Her Hoop Stats recently tweeted that it feels like we’ve been on triple-double watch an awful lot this season. That feeling is validated by the stat that 10 times this season players have posted a line of at least 10 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. We’re barely halfway through the 2022 campaign, and that’s already tied for the most such regular season games in WNBA history. Ionescu, responsible for four such games, is the engine behind this achievement. In fact, the entire league has produced more such 10-point, eight-rebound, and eight-assist games in a single season in only 12 of its 25 seasons.
What’s particularly wild is that all four of Ionescu’s 10-point, eight-rebound, and eight-assist games have happened in a seven-game span. If Ionescu keeps this up, it’s only a matter of time before Parker has company at the top of the career triple-doubles leaderboard.
France captures FIBA 3x3 World Cup
After disappointing finishes at last summer’s Olympics (just off the podium in fourth place) and last September’s Europe Cup in France (semifinal loss), France’s 3x3 team rebounded to capture the Crelan FIBA 3x3 World Cup on Sunday in Antwerp. Following a 3-1 record in pool play and a blowout win in the round of 16 over Mongolia, France pulled out a trio of nail-biting victories in the remaining knockout rounds to secure its fourth 3x3 FIBA World Cup medal.
Trailing Spain 13-9 with 90 seconds remaining in the quarterfinals, the prospects of a France gold medal looked grim. However, a Marie-Eve Paget two-pointer (the equivalent of a three-pointer in 5x5 basketball), a blocked shot followed by a reverse layup by Myriam Djekoundade, and a drive by former world No. 1 Laetitia Guapo kept hope alive and forced overtime. A game-saving block by Guapo followed by a Paget putback sent France to the semifinals.
In the semifinals, France jumped out to an 11-4 advantage only for China to respond with a 12-3 run of its own to take a 16-14 lead with 1:38 left. France locked down on defense down the stretch, preventing China from even getting a shot on the rim over its last four possessions. Tournament MVP Guapo, who led all scorers with nine points, knocked down a 15-footer to put France ahead for good 17-16.
Leading 14-8 in the championship game, France withstood a furious comeback by Canada and the double-fives by Canada’s Michelle and Katherine Plouffe to take home the gold. Djekoundade rejected Michelle Plouffe’s game-tying two-point attempt with 13.7 seconds remaining, and Paget sealed the deal with a free throw on the ensuing possession.
WNBA schedule this week (All times Eastern)
Here is a full listing of this week’s games, start times, and where you can catch the action.
Her Hoop Stats content in case you missed it
On Courtside, Gabe Ibrahim and Christy Winters Scott offered their reactions to the WNBA’s announcement of All-Star Game starters, Chicago's epic comeback against Las Vegas, the 50th anniversary of Title IX, and Roe v. Wade being overturned.
The starters for the All-Star Game have been announced, but who will each team’s reserves be? On Dice it Up, Dano Mataya and Ice Young offered their predictions on who else will be packing their bags for Chicago in July.
Should the entire Aces starting lineup make the All-Star team? Is Skylar Diggins-Smith a lock to make it? Gabe Ibrahim, Richard Cohen, and ESPN’s Kevin Pelton offered their thoughts on who will be in the Windy City for next month’s WNBA All-Star Game.
On June 16, Sue Bird announced that she’s calling it quits after this season. Aneela Khan chronicled the career of the greatest point guard in WNBA history.
When it comes to their next contract, whose stock has increased and whose prospects have entered bear market territory? In the latest WNBA Dissected, Richard Cohen offered his thoughts and described the ramifications of Apple’s $2.5 billion media deal with Major League Soccer on future WNBA media rights deals.
With the season at the halfway point, Aneela Khan explored who’s taken the early lead in the race for WNBA Most Valuable Player.
Other recommended content
For FiveThirtyEight, Santul Nerkar analyzed how different races have benefitted unequally from Title IX.
Through the lens of 2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones’ experience as someone who is Black, gay, and (as she describes it) not traditionally feminine, ESPN’s Katie Barnes explored how race, sexual orientation, and appearance influence WNBA players’ endorsement and merchandising opportunities.
For D Magazine, Dorothy Gentry covered how Dallas’ Charli Collier and Awak Kuier, the first two overall picks in the 2021 WNBA Draft, are navigating slow starts to their WNBA careers.
After two back surgeries and having played just three games in the 2020 and 2021 seasons combined, is Elena Delle Donne playing at an MVP level again? In her latest for The Next, Jenn Hatfield’s deep dive into Delle Donne’s numbers this season helped answer this question.
After an abysmal 1-7 start, New York turned things around in June, posting the league’s best net rating this month. For WNBA.com, Mark Schindler watched film with Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Howard in an effort to understand how the Liberty have righted the ship.
ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel and Alexa Philippou discussed the ramifications of Tina Charles’ departure from Phoenix.
Trivia question of the week
First, here’s the answer to last week’s trivia question:
The 1995-96 United States Women’s National Team compiled a 52-0 record in exhibition games leading up to the 1996 Olympics, with 20 of those games coming against college programs. Which of these 20 teams did the U.S. memorably defeat by the slimmest margin, 85-74?
Answer: As featured in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Dream On, Louisiana Tech gave Team USA a run for its money, ultimately falling 85-74.
And now, here’s this week’s question:
Who is the shortest player in WNBA history to win Defensive Player of the Year?
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.